biology

Johann Friedrich Meckel

Johann Friedrich Meckel is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Johann Friedrich Meckel rather than just read about it. In short: Johann Friedrich Meckel (17 October 1781 – 31 October 1833), often referred to as Johann Friedrich Meckel, the Younger, was a German anatomist born in Halle. He worked as a professor of anatomy, pathology and zoology at the University of Halle, Germany.

Key takeaways

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Reference excerpt

Johann Friedrich Meckel (17 October 1781 – 31 October 1833), often referred to as Johann Friedrich Meckel, the Younger, was a German anatomist born in Halle. He worked as a professor of anatomy, pathology and zoology at the University of Halle, Germany.

Life and research In 1802, he received his medical doctorate from the University of Halle, defending his doctoral thesis De cordis conditionibus abnormibus on 8 April 1802. At Halle he had as instructors, Kurt Sprengel (1766-1833) and Johann Christian Reil (1759-1813). After graduation, Meckel continued his education in Würzburg, Vienna and Paris. In Paris, he assisted zoologist Georges Cuvier (1769–1832) with systematic analysis of anatomical and zootomical specimens. In 1810 he finished translating Cuvier's five-volume Leçons d’anatomie comparée from French into German. In 1808, he became a full professor of normal and pathological anatomy, surgery and obstetrics at the University of Halle, replacing Justus Christian Loder (1753-1832). From 1826 to 1833, he was editor of the Archiv für Anatomie und Physiologie. In 1829, he was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Meckel adopted naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck's (1744–1829) evolutionary beliefs. He was a pioneer in the science of teratology, in particular the study of birth defects and abnormalities that occur during embryonic development. He believed that abnormal development adhered to the same natural laws as did normal development. With French embryologist Étienne Serres (1786–1868), the "Meckel-Serres Law" is named, defined as a theory of parallelism between the stages of ontogeny and the stages of a unifying pattern in the organic world ("scala naturae").

Associated terms The following eponymous terms are named after him:

Meckel's diverticulum – an out-pouching of the ileum, part of the small intestine, and found in approximately 2% of the population. Meckel's cartilage – A cartilaginous bar from which the mandible is formed. Described in 1820. A syndrome – Meckel syndrome – is also named after him. This condition was described in 1822. A protein – mecklin – the gene for which is found on chromosome 8 (8q21.3-q22.1) is named after him. The supposed Meckel-Serres Law of recapitulation in embryology.

Family His grandfather was also named "Johann Friedrich Meckel". In order to avoid confusion, he is often referred to as Johann Friedrich Meckel, the Elder. The elder Meckel was also a professor of anatomy, and he too has anatomical structures named after him. His father, Philipp Friedrich Theodor Meckel (1755–1803), was also an anatomist. His brother, August Albrecht Meckel (1789–1829), practiced legal medicine and investigated avian anatomy but died prematurely from tuberculosis. August's son – Johann Heinrich Meckel (1821–1856) – was the professor of pathologic anatomy at the University of Berlin that his great-grandfather had held at the Charité. After his death also from pulmonary disease, his position was filled by Rudolf Virchow.

See also Meckel syndrome Meckel diverticulum

References Johann Friedrich Meckel @ Who Named It Klunker, Rudyard; Göbbel Luminita; Musil Anette; Tönnies Holger; Schultka Rüdiger (November 2002). "[Johann Friedrich Meckel the Younger (1781–1833) and modern teratology]". Ann. Anat. 184 (6): 535–40. doi:10.1016/s0940-9602(02)80093-0. PMID 12489337. Göbbel, Luminita; Schultka Rüdiger (November 2002). "[The scholarly program of Johann Friedrich Meckel the Younger (1781–1833) and it importance for the development of life sciences]". Ann. Anat. 184 (6): 519–22. doi:10.1016/s0940-9602(02)80091-7. PMID 12489335. Schultka, Rüdiger; Göbbel Luminita (November 2002). "[Johann Friedrich Meckel the Younger (1781–1833), an extremely important naturalist and scholar]". Ann. Anat. 184 (6): 503–8. doi:10.1016/S0940-9602(02)80089-9. PMID 12489333. Edmonson, J M (July 2001). "Johann Friedrich Meckel the younger: Meckel's diverticulum". Gastrointest. Endosc. 54 (1): 19A–20A. doi:10.1016/S0016-5107(01)70150-2. PMID 11508254. Daniels, I R (June 2000). "Historical perspectives on health: Johann Friedrich Meckel the younger and his diverticulum". Journal of the Royal Society of Health. 120 (2): 125–6. doi:10.1177/146642400012000211. PMID 10944888. S2CID 221560236. Seidler, E; Mullen, Pierce; Opitz, John M. (August 1984). "Johann Friedrich Meckel the Younger (1781–1833)". Am. J. Med. Genet. 18 (4): 571–86. doi:10.1002/ajmg.1320180406. PMID 6385706. Gluecklich, B (September 1976). "Johann Friedrich Meckel, the Younger (1781–1833)". Am. J. Surg. 132 (3): 384–6. doi:10.1016/0002-9610(76)90398-6. PMID 786056. Clark, O E (July 1969). "The contributions of J.F. Meckel, the Younger, to the science of teratology". Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences. 24 (3): 310–22. doi:10.1093/jhmas/XXIV.3.310. PMID 4894391.

External links Media related to Johann Friedrich Meckel at Wikimedia Commons

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Johann Friedrich Meckel

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Johann Friedrich Meckel claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Johann Friedrich Meckel before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Johann Friedrich Meckel ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Johann Friedrich Meckel

In research: Johann Friedrich Meckel appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Johann Friedrich Meckel in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Johann Friedrich Meckel is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1781 births, 1833 deaths, 18th-century German biologists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Johann Friedrich Meckel outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Johann Friedrich Meckel in 20 minutes

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Frequently asked questions

What is Johann Friedrich Meckel in simple terms?

Why does Johann Friedrich Meckel matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Johann Friedrich Meckel?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Johann Friedrich Meckel.